Great Cataclysm
The Great Cataclysm, otherwise referred to as The Fall by Av-Matoran, was a universal shockwave felt across the Great Spirit Robot as it crash-landed on the planetary body of Aqua Magna. This was prompted by Makuta Teridax debilitating Mata Nui's operating system in the Core Processor of Metru Nui. History Tension Over the course of the preceding century, the unsavory agendas of both the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Dark Hunters became more clear to the Toa and the Order of Mata Nui. This period also saw a general decline across the universe, as the Brotherhood began to pay less attention to preserving order and more to their own ambition while the Dark Hunters continued to expand their criminal enterprises and earning the sympathy of dissatisfied working masses across the Matoran Universe. Cataclysm Triggered by Makuta Teridax as he fed a virus developed by Makuta Kojol into the Core Processor of Metru Nui, the Great Cataclysm's most immediate effect was the deactivation of the complex artificial guidance system known colloquially as Mata Nui. With the Matoran of Metru Nui incapacitated in Matoran Pods and incapable of continuing their labor to direct energy around the Matoran Universe, a power surge rocked the various operating systems of the Domes, causing the Energy Storms of Karda Nui to cease and the thrusters of the Great Spirit Robot to deactivate. While basic life support systems remained operational, the Matoran Universe was reduced to emergency lighting and the Sun Holes that allowed exterior light to reach the Domes were shut, plunging the inhabitants of the Great Spirit Robot into darkness. Caught in the gravitational pull of Bara Magna, the Great Spirit Robot then collided with Aqua Magna, one of the satellites orbiting the planetary body formerly known as Spherus Magna. The immediate ramifications of the universal shockwaves had disastrous consequences throughout the domes of the Great Spirit Robot. Most notably, the Southern Continent's dome was known to have ruptured, catapulting Voya Nui and Mahri Nui to the surface of Aqua Magna and killing Turaga Jovan along with hundreds of Matoran in the process. The event was also known to have thrust the Pit facility into the waters of Aqua Magna, simultaneously triggering a mass breakout event as the prisoners escaped their cells in the ensuing chaos. With the Maxilos guards overwhelmed, the Pit's jailer, Hydraxon, was notably murdered by Barraki Takadox. Escaping into the surrounding aquatic depths, the prisoners were mutated by radiation leaking from a fissure in the Great Spirit Robot, transforming them into water-breathers and augmenting their bodies to suit the depths. Aftermath By the time of the Great Cataclysm, the total Toa population had begun to see drastic decreases in size, with members of the species now being hunted by the Brotherhood and Dark Hunters alike as a direct consequence of the event. With Mata Nui distinctly absent and the Matoran Universe debilitated by Makuta Teridax's efforts, it became widely accepted that the Toa had failed and that alternative methods of peace-keeping should be adopted. As the Great Spirit’s health deteriorated, so did order and law on all the lands. With the Matoran Universe debilitated and the Brotherhood of Makuta now in a prime position of power, thus began the Dark Times. See Also *Matoran Universe *Mata Nui (Being) *Makuta Teridax *Toa *Dark Hunters